There is a hint of fall in the air around here! The thought of coming holidays, cool weather and baking with spices has me feeling happy and nostalgic at the same time. This past weekend the kids and I made our family’s favorite pumpkin spice cookie recipe. We also received the results of a special little project we started a few weeks ago. I’m excited to share both with you!

Karen and her husband of 7 years have one active but very sweet toddler boy and a happy baby girl. She loves being mommy, spending quality time with friends and family, traveling and trying new things.

Fruit is a go-to snack for our family. Recently we tried to dry some of our own fruit with pretty good results! We made dried strawberry slices and homemade banana chips. You can easily make dried fruit too!

If you can make sugar cookies than you can make Jello cookies! These colorful and flavored cookies can be customized with any color and cut into fun shapes. We made both traditional round cookies and magical unicorn cookies! My kids had a blast helping and of course, eating our creative snacks!(more…)

Katie is a writer and influencer based in beautiful Coeur d’Alane, Idaho. She enjoys DIY projects, photography, decorating and going on family adventures. She feels blessed to be a wife, a stay-at-home mom to three kids and a Pacific Northwest lifestyle blogger.

The holidays are a fun time to try new recipes, make yummy snacks and mix up delicious hot beverages. We’ve partnered with SheSpeaks, Inc and the Simply Orange Juice Company to share some easy holiday ideas you can use at your next party.

Every mom with young kids dreams of their children being able to play nicely together by themselves. Well, at least I do if that’s any indication. My kids are ages 2, 3 and 5 — all of which struggle with attention span, self control and sharing. We regularly practice playing together and enjoying independent play in the next room over. While I’m making their snack, my kids get the chance to play nicely with their interactive toys and preschool activities. They also enjoy exploring the outdoors and my older girls love dressing up! Here are some fun ideas and gear for indoor and outdoor play and creative healthy snacks!

Katie is a writer and influencer based in beautiful Coeur d’Alane, Idaho. She enjoys DIY projects, photography, decorating and going on family adventures. She feels blessed to be a wife, a stay-at-home mom to three kids and a Pacific Northwest lifestyle blogger.

Do you have a picky eater? Sometimes it’s about all a mom can handle to get a child to eat their lunch. When kids go through stages of picky eating, parents can use simple strategies to encourage their kids to eat healthy food.

Kids can be picky when it comes to food. It’s helpful to provide healthy lunch ideas for kids at home. Kids can also be involved in the menu planning. These tips can help you teach kids about nutrition and how to make healthy lunch choices.

Katie is a writer and influencer based in beautiful Coeur d’Alane, Idaho. She enjoys DIY projects, photography, decorating and going on family adventures. She feels blessed to be a wife, a stay-at-home mom to three kids and a Pacific Northwest lifestyle blogger.

Welcome to Create. Play. Travel.

Thanks for stopping by! Create. Play. Travel. is a Pacific Northwest family lifestyle website featuring creative and inspiring ideas for a joyful family life. We write about parenting, educational kids’ activities, do-it-yourself projects, home design ideas, beauty & fashion topics and family travel adventures. More »